Kozume Kenma and the Christmas Reconciliation
by FlipSideofC
Summary: Misunderstandings, presents, wizards, quidditch, cats and Christmas.


Oh right, I should have posted this a few days (months/years) ago, but anyway here it is. Also, I'm not dead and still active and writing - just very slowly. It would probably be way more effective if I didn't write several fics at once…

-000-

Kuroo made his way towards Zonko's, carefully making sure not to bump into any of the shopping wizards filling the streets. Crouching to make sure the invisibility cloak covered his legs, he considered his list; it should be no problem to obtain all the items he'd been tasked to provide. Casting one last glance at the parchment, Kuroo almost missed the appearance of a certain blond boy coming around the corner. He stumbled to a halt and only just managed not to run into a passing-by witch.

Kenma wasn't alone. The little shrimpy redhead was with him, chatting excitedly. Kuroo's eyes roamed over Kenma's features. The blond hair color that Kuroo had proudly managed to magic himself had faded since that sunny afternoon, giving way to Kenma's natural darker strands. The result should be comical, but instead suited him perfectly. As usual, the small frame was clad in some second hand garment, but the normally pale cheeks were rosy from the chilly wind and he was smiling. Someone else might have called it barely that, but Kuroo knew a contented Kenma smile when he saw it. Kuroo smiled automatically himself upon seeing the rare sight.

"Kenma! Look! Have you ever seen an owl with this color before?"

Hinata didn't wait for a reply, but approached the caged owl with a wondrous grin. Kenma slowly followed him. Kuroo could see them talking, while Hinata made wild gestures. They soon disappeared inside the pet shop.

Kuroo hesitated. He should go straight to his destination, get the items and go back. Yaku would kill him if he was late…

Kuroo swore and trudged after the pair. Getting inside the shop took some maneuvering, but he finally managed when an elegant witch left carrying a cage with a magnificent white owl. Kenma and Hinata moved around the shop, pointing at all the animals. Kenma's soft voice was barely audible over the chirping, barking and other various sounds.

Kuroo's groaned inwardly. What was he even doing here? He should leave. What was the point? What did he hope to accomplish by following Kenma around? It was clear the smaller boy wanted nothing to do with him - and for good reason. Kuroo still remembered the last time Kenma had addressed him directly. After the sorting. That disastrous sorting… Kuroo could still hear the shrill voice boom across the hall. "Gryffindor!". And his own words. What he'd give to never have uttered them...

Kuroo started when Kenma let out a sound of amazement. Hinata crouched down next to him and Kuroo crept closer to see what had grabbed Kenma's attention. A soft meow let Kuroo realize it was a cat. A kitten to be exact. It looked like a ball of fur with huge gold eyes, not unlike Kenma's own. Kenma's slender fingers stroke the cat and soon he had lifted the little creature into his arms. The cat seemed to accept the embrace with ease. Kenma petted the kitten until it purred in contentment, snuggled in his arms.

"He's so cute Kenma! Are you going to buy him?"

Kuroo saw Kenma's face fall. Hinata might not even have noticed it, but Kuroo did, and the sight made his heart clench painfully. Kenma shook his head, hiding most of his face behind his hair.

"No, I can't afford him. And it's not as if I can bring him home with me anyway. My uncle and aunt would never allow him in the house...and my cousin...is not good with animals."

"I could take care of him when you're staying with them. And you could come visit me! My parents want to meet you anyway! My siblings too!"

"Thank you Shouyou, but I can't afford him anyway. He's part kneazle and probably costs a fortune."

Hinata located a price tag nearby and whistled.

"You're right. Damn. You're sure?"

Kenma nodded, while still pressing the purring bundle closer. After a while he let out a sigh and carefully put the kitten down. It pushed against Kenma's hand with a protesting mewl, but he didn't pick it up again.

"Let's go", Kenma said curtly and strode out of the shop without a look back.

As he passed Kuroo's hiding spot, he noticed Kenma's eyes were wet.

-000-

Kuroo leaned back against the wall, deep in thought, until Kenma's and Hinata's figures had disappeared down the street.

Kenma rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and considered turning over to catch a few more hours. The tower was mostly empty, but Kenma noticed that Shouyou wasn't in his bed. Where had he gone?

"Kenma!"

Shouyou burst into the room. He was wearing a sweater in bright orange - matching his hair - and he was grinning ear to ear.

"Come! We have presents!"

Kenma blinked.

"We do? I do?"

Hinata raised his eyebrows at Kenma's look of confusion.

"Yes of course you do! Come on!"

Kenma didn't need to be told twice. He quickly threw on a robe over his pyjamas and slid his feet into a pair of slippers to ward of the cold. At the moment, he would probably not have noticed though. Despite trying to tell himself not to get his hopes up, he was in fact doing just that.

Shouyou was examining several brightly wrapped packages when he came down the stairs.

"Here! This is for you."

Kenma gingerly grabbed the lumpy package, which was wrapped in Christmas paper with apples and snowflakes on. Kenma blinked and looked almost shyly at Shouyou in a wordless question.

"Mom knows you like apples," Hinata supplied, while munching on a chocolate frog.

"Your mother...got me this?" Kenma whispered.

"Well yes. It's tradition. You'll probably hate it."

"No I won't", Kenma murmured, while his hands started to unwrap the gift.

Kenma shook out a bundle of cloth to reveal a red sweater with an embroidered K. It looked like the perfect size. Kenma swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Thank you."

"We all get sweaters. It's tradition. Mum usually picks weird colors though, but she obviously likes you. Go on, open the next one!"

Kenma reached for another package, wrapped in silver. Soon he was surrounded by small piles of unwrapped gifts. Chocolate frogs, a book, a set of quills, candy from Zonko's and some colourful pills from Nishinoya that he decided not to try without further testing. Kenma could honestly say he'd never had a better Christmas morning.

Shouyou happily munched on his own candy and stretched out in front of the fireplace. The orange hair and sweater made him shine like a beacon in the light from the fire.

"Thank you Shouyou. I… I didn't…"

"It's just candy. You can buy me a butterbear next time we're in Hogsmeade if you wish."

Kenma nodded slowly. "I do."

"Great! Oh, you've missed one."

Hinata pointed to a big box standing closer to the door.

"It's for me?"

"It has your name on it. The house elves brought it in."

Kenma looked over the box. There was indeed a note with his name on it, but he couldn't see any indication who it was from.

"Did they say who the sender was?"

"No, they were very secretive. There was another note though."

Hinata flipped out a piece of parchment with a few lines on.

"Don't shake me?" Kenma repeated.

Hinata shrugged.

"Maybe it's fragile?"

Kenma carefully peeled off the paper, taking care not to jostle the box. He slowly opened the lid, almost afraid it would explode in his face. When nothing happened he peered inside.

A tear fell down his cheek. And another.

The small kitten yawned and stretched, then blinked up at Kenma with wide golden eyes. Kenma reverently lifted the bundle out of the box and pulled it towards his chest, smiling tremulously. The kitten accepted the tight hug good-naturedly for a while before it started squirming. Chuckling, Kenma started to pet the soft fur instead.

"Hey, it almost looks like the kitten we saw in the store earlier", Hinata exclaimed. "Do you think it's the same one?"

"It's definitely the same one."

"There was no note inside?"

"None that I could see."

"Huh. Strange."

-000-

Kenma cuddled the fluffy bundle, feeling the warmth of the kitten's body contribute to his already warm state. The fireplace, his new sweater and the happiness he felt made him feel warm inside and out. He was glad he'd decided to stay during the break and felt immense gratitude that Shouyou had elected to do so as well, despite having a loving home to go back to. It irked him that he'd totally forgotten about presents though. Even if he hadn't gotten any from his uncle and aunt, he should have remembered it was a normal thing to do. And after all, he'd always gotten gifts from…

Kenma frowned as his morning brain decided to start working. It was obvious, even to him, who the most likely person to have gotten him the kitten was. Kuro knew him, was a total sap and, last but not least, had the funds to afford it. However, Kuro liked grand gestures, so the discrete surprise offering wasn't like him. Then again, would he have accepted the package straight from his hands? Kenma would probably have found a way to refuse. This way there was no way he'd be able to give the kitten back. He already loved it. What did it mean? There was no way Kuro would have missed the opportunity to say something…

Kenma gently released the kitten, who happily started to play with the wrapping paper instead. He grabbed the box, but found no note, nor any text or sign, despite looking everywhere.

"No clues?" Hinata took in his frustrated search with a curious gaze.

"No. Maybe invisible ink?"

"Maybe it's on the cat?"

"Of course! Maybe the collar?"

Kenma picked the kitten up to check. He'd noticed the collar earlier, but had paid it no mind. He removed the green band (_green, how typical…_) from the kitten's neck and looked it over. It was covered by weird signs Kenma had never seen before, but nothing else. Was it runes? Kenma's head swam as he tried to remember if he'd seen something similar before.

"What does it say?"

"No idea, I'll have to dechiffre it. I'll go straight to the library after breakfast."

Hinata giggled. "You should see yourself right now. You look so excited."

"No I'm not", Kenma countered automatically. But he needed to know what it said and he was going to find out, even if he had to read every book in the library to do so.

-000-

Hinata circled around a pair of first-years to peek around the corner. Still no cat. Kenma's little kitten had a tendency to run off. Kenma took it in stride as it always returned promptly every night, but Hinata had seen the little bundle head towards the Slytherin dungeon and he was worried. It was so small and curious. What if it got into trouble? Kenma loved the kitten so much and he'd be devastated if it was hurt. Hinata turned around the next corner and then right into the chest of something hard. His face instantly turned red in anger and embarrassment. Kageyama Tobio, the Slytherin seeker. Out of all the people…

"What are you doing here?" He blurted out.

Kageyama's frown turned into a scowl.

"What am _I_ doing here? You're in Slytherin territory here, dumbass!"

"Don't call me dumbass, dumbass!"

"Pipe down kids, you're scaring the kitten," came a drawl from behind Kageyama.

Hinata immediately directed his annoyance at the newcomer. He barely knew the tall boy, but Kenma did and that was enough for Hinata to glare at him in hatred.

"Shrimpy, maybe you shouldn't frequent hallways so far away from your friends. You never know when you'll run into scary Slytherins like Tobio here. I might have to do my prefect duty and take some points."

"It's not curfew yet you git!" Hinata yelled, though his anger was replaced by apprehension as he spotted Kenma's kitten in Kuroo's arms.

The little fellow seemed content to lay there and be petted. Hinata was honestly surprised. The kitten preferred to be held by Kenma and only allowed some petting by others when it was in an indulgent mood.

"Release the kitten! Or else!"

"Relax shrimpy, I'm not going to hurt it. I can't help that I'm irresistible."

The kitten chose that moment to snuggle against Kuroo's chin. Kuroo looked far too familiar with it.

"It was you, wasn't it?"

"Hmmmm?"

"You gave him the kitten! Why didn't you tell him? Why making him translate runes to find out?"

Kuroo's lazy grin turned into a lopsided one and he let out a horrible hyena-like laugh.

"Oh he already knows - and he likes puzzles. Now Tobio, be a champ and escort the shrimp back to safer grounds."

Hinata glared at Kuroo as the latter pressed the squirming kitten into his arms.

"Take care of the kittens shorty."

Hinata fumed as he made his way back, ignoring his equally scowling escort. He couldn't stay silent for long though.

"You don't have to follow me. I can find my way back on my own."

"I'm not going to ignore my captain's orders. Besides, he's right. Some of the housemates are not fun to run into alone, even if Kuroo-san and the other third-years are working on them."

"What?"

"Well, you're on neutral ground now, so goodnight."

Hinata stood confused for a while before making his way back to Gryffindor tower. He wasn't sure what to tell Kenma and he wasn't sure what to feel about tonight's events either.

-000-

Kenma dove under a bludger and tried to scan the area for the snitch, but the abundant snow made it impossible to see further than a few meters. It was bitterly cold, so cold that Kenma wondered if the heating spell in his clothes had expired already, or if the opposing team had somehow managed to nullify it. Kenma also wondered why the teachers hadn't called the match off all together. When he'd last flown close to the stands he'd seen several teachers looking worried and more than one locked in discussions with each other, rather than at the match. That didn't have to mean anything though. Frankly, the teachers had all been jittery lately, muttering about Azkaban.

Slytherin was in the lead, but if Kenma found the snitch first now they'd still win. Also, the match would end and he'd be warm again, which was frankly more motivating than beating Kuroo right now. Damn, how could it be so _cold_?

A dark shape hovered over to his left. Probably Kageyama, looking for the snitch as well. A second dark shape appeared to the right. Kenma frowned. Was it Tsukishima? It was tall, but didn't look like Kuroo. Before he could finish the thought he spotted a quick shape chasing something golden. The snitch! Then the one to the left wasn't Kageyama? Kenma looked back, but the shapes were gone. He didn't have time to think, but dove straight down to cut off Kageyama's path towards the snitch.

A gust of wind made Kenma fall behind and he cursed as he sped to catch up. He tried to fly as fast as he could, but it was as if his broom and his body were frozen solid. Kenma couldn't feel his fingers gripping the broom and it was so dark. How long had they been playing? Surely not that late?

A dark shape appeared in front of him. Kenma squinted to make out who it was, but drew a blank. What was he doing here anyway? He didn't even like playing quidditch - just looking really - and he hated being cold. Would his friends even mind if he dropped out? He tried to move, but everything felt sluggish and hard, too much effort. Would anyone even notice if he disappeared altogether?

_Liar!_

_Liar!_

_LIAR!_

A scream woke him from his stupor and he instinctively dove to the side as Kuroo sped past him, faster than Kenma had ever seen him fly before. He soon realized why when he saw several dark shapes following him. Kuroo flew straight into the dark shape that Kenma had seen before and wobbled on his broom. Kenma realized they were surrounded by the shapes. He felt nothing but cold panic screaming at him to get away, but he couldn't move a muscle. Kuroo appeared to be just as dazed as him. Kenma wanted to yell at him to move, but instead he just screamed as Kuroo's broom shattered and the boy plummeted towards the ground.

Kenma didn't think as he dove towards Kuroo. He didn't even know how high up they were and in his panic he couldn't remember the spell for levitation, even if he'd had the time to reach for his wand, or been capable of feeling his fingers. He just grabbed Kuroo mid-flight, held on to him and his broom for dear life and tried to make the broom not crash based on pushing upwards and sheer will-power.

The crash hurt, but not as bad as Kenma had feared it would. Kenma could hear vague noises - screams of fear, anger and surprise - and the unmistaken sound of spells. He felt dizzy and his arm hurt, which made it hard to concentrate.

_Kuro!_

He hurried to Kuroo's side, but the panic he'd felt lodged inside calmed down when he saw that he was alive, albeit pale and with several bleeding cuts.

"What's going on?" He muttered aloud, not expecting an answer.

"Dementors," Kuroo whispered. Dementors, from Azkaban.

Kenma froze. They'd learned about dementors in Defense Against the Dark Arts, of course, but he'd hoped to never have to test his knowledge in practice. Think of something happy? Eat chocolate? The best advice, he felt, was obviously to avoid them altogether.

"Let's get out of here. Can you stand?"

Kuroo grunted and tried to stand, but it was clear that his leg was likely broken. Frankly, Kenma felt as if his arm was as well, even if it was probably just sprained. Slowly, they made their way off the field, towards shelter, Kenma steadying Kuroo and Kuroo holding his wand. Kenma could see the stands in front of them. They'd be able to take temporary shelter there, away from the wind. Maybe get some help, if there were teachers nearby.

The darkness around them materialized in shapes. Kenma struggled to move with Kuroo, but when he turned, another shape appeared. Kuroo's sudden scream of 'expecto patronum' shook him out of his petrified state. Kuroo was Nekomata's star pupil, but Kenma was still surprised he'd managed to master the spell. Very few had. Kenma had succeeded, but it had been weak. They'd suggested he might need a happier memory. He'd scoffed - internally - but perhaps they'd been right.

He needed to help Kuroo holding them off though. His first patronus was a bit small and only managed to hinder one of the closest shapes, but it was enough to boost Kenma's confidence and Kuroo's surprised exclamation was ridiculously satisfying. For a moment, he felt as if they'd manage, but there were so many of them. It was so cold and everything hurt.

_Liar!_

_Gryffindor!_

_Liar!_

_Gryffindor!_

_Liar!_

Kuroo's spells became weaker and they could barely manage to hold them away. One of the shapes dove towards them, making Kuroo lose his balance, dragging Kenma down with him. One of the dementors came close to Kuroo and…sucked. Kenma could only stare in horror as the dementor appeared to suck his soul out of his body. Kenma hit him with a patronus and they scrambled towards the stands. Kenma screamed as he felt one of the dementors feed on him, before Kuroo managed to get him off.

The last thing Kenma saw was the wand falling out of Kuroo's hand, but his scream was eaten by the mouth coming towards him.

-000-

Kenma opened his eyes, staring into the familiar roof of the hospital wing. His mind was a muddy mess and he winced as he tried to move. There might be a muscle that didn't hurt, but he wasn't sure which one.

"You're awake!" Ukai-sensei and Nekomata-sensei hurried to his side, hovering and looking relieved. "How are you feeling?"

Kenma blinked. Something was missing.

"Kuro?!" He blurted out. "Where's Kuro?"

The faces of Nekomata and Ukai fell and Kenma felt dread and icy panic seize him. No….no no _NO_. Their gazes went to the other side of the room where Kenma could make out a bed with a figure.

A figure with ridiculous hair.

Kenma sprang from the bed, ignoring both his shaky legs and the professors' protests.

Kuroo was deadly pale. Kenma felt tears prickle his eyes. He grasped Kuroo's hand and pressed his ear against the boy's chest. Kuroo's hand was cold, but he could make out a heartbeat. Kenma all but sobbed in relief.

"We almost didn't make it," Nekomata said in a subdued voice. "By the time we reached you, one was working on you and three were working on him. Don't worry though. We did arrive in time and he will live. He'll just need some time to recover. Now get back into bed. You're far from ok yourself."

"No", Kenma said stubbornly. "I'm staying right here."

"How about…." Ukai cut in, realizing Kenma would argue about staying until he dropped to the floor from exhaustion, "we put your bed here right next to his?"

Kenma nodded, looking suspicious.

Once he was back in bed, next to Kuroo, Kenma settled back to sleep, holding Kuroo's hand tightly. He was going to keep holding it and he was going to talk to Kuroo. He wouldn't waste another minute.

-000-

Kuroo woke up, slowly blinking at the ceiling. He'd been running, falling and…Kenma!

He turned his head and there he was. Kuroo sighed in relief and felt the panic die down slightly. Kenma's face was pale and filled with scratches, but he was still the best sight to wake up to. Kuroo started when he realized Kenma was holding his hand. He swallowed. Did this mean he had a chance to fix this at last? He was certainly going to try. He scooted closer, ignoring the pain in his arm, and resolutely clasped Kenma's hand with his other hand.

Kenma woke up. Kuroo had moved, now laying on the side, facing him. He was pale and had black rings under his eyes, but he looked like Kuro. He realized Kuroo had clasped his hand and smiled. Kuroo wanted to fix this too. He scooted even closer and put his other hand on top of Kuroo's.

-000-

Kuroo woke up and noticed Kenma's grip. Well really, he didn't have any more hands.

Kenma's eyes flew open, startling Kuroo, but he didn't remove his hand. They stared at each other.

"Are you ok?" Kenma said, looking anxious.

"I'm fine," Kuroo said. "Were you worried about me?" He added with a smirk, before he took in Kenma's glare and immediately dropped it. "I was worried about you," he added. "I'm glad you're ok."

"I'm glad too," Kenma said, mollified.

"I'm sorry," Kuroo blurted out, before either of them had time to say anything else. "I'm so sorry. I…"

"I'm sorry too. I broke my promise and I'm so sorry."

"I behaved like an ass. I should have just talked to you."

"I should have explained why."

Kuroo swallowed. "Will you tell me now? Please. You don't have to, but I'd be glad if you did."

"That day on the train, I was nervous. I passed some of your housemates and they were horrible. When I fled from them I ended up in a cabin with Shoyou and Daichi and the others. They were so nice to me. Then when I sat there with the sorting hat on my head and it asked me where I wanted to go, I hesitated. Right then I didn't think of you...I just looked at the tables and saw the guys that had heckled me on the train and the nice guys that had taken me in. I guess the sorting hat got all that. I didn't have time to reflect on the consequences until afterwards."

Kuroo stroke his hand absentmindedly. "I...I get it. The third years were idiots. I was so happy to get rid of them."

"I'm sorry", Kenma said again. "I wanted to find you afterwards, but then you…"

Kuroo swallowed. "I'm so sorry. It's not an excuse. I was looking forward to you coming so much. Yaku and Kai will tell you I didn't talk about anything else for months. You'd come and join the team, become seeker and we'd rule the pitch, like we did when we were kids. Then you sat there and the hat just went Gryffindor. And you looked quite happy about it I might add."

"I wasn't happy, I was stunned."

"Looked happy."

Kenma glared at him.

"I'm sorry. I was just so unhappy. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I wanted to apologize so many times after that, but you never even looked my way."

"I was mad at you. I wanted to talk to you too, but you were always with so many people. And then you behaved like an idiot and I just wanted to hit you."

Kuroo clasped his hands and looked him in the eyes. Kenma swallowed.

"Kenma, I have never regretted anything more in my entire life. The only thing I want is for us to be friends again."

Kenma clasped back firmly. "I want that too."

"Friends?" Kuroo asked hesitantly.

"Friends", Kenma confirmed. "Best friends", he added, glancing at Kuroo.

He looked stunned, but then smiled. A real, happy, smile that made Kenma remember he had once felt other feelings for Kuroo too.

"Best friends", Kuroo agreed. "Always."

Kenma turned red. "That's... that's my happy memory."

"What?"

"You saying that when we were kids."

"Damn Kenma, you can't keep saying these kind of things. My heart can't handle it. As a matter of fact, that's my happy memory too. Although I'm kind of thinking this might be a new one."

"You boys aren't planning on casting patronuses anytime soon I hope", Ukai muttered as he entered the room and glanced pointedly at their clasped hands until they scrambled back to their respective beds, red-faced. "Also, your friends are here to see you."

"Later", Kuroo mouthed.

Kemma smiled. Later was fine.


End file.
